Windows Mobile Device centre just deleted all my contacts!

[Dreaming]

Sometimes software devs really do make me wonder. Basically, I plugged in my TyTN II and it asked me to create a partnership, I said ok, said there were already two to 'windows PC' and 'windows PC 2'. Actually the same computer, but over a year it gets formatted etc.

So anyway, remove these partnerships as it says it can't have more than two. Know what it does? Deletes every piece of information on my phone that was backed up by these partnerships. So even if I went out, got someones phone number, then it automatically synced to outlook, it deleted it.

It's deleted a few files too, but the main issue is that of contacts. It didn't spare a single one!

Can't believe it's designed to work like this, surely a user should be asked then triple asked if they want to delete everyone off their phone, rather than just assuming it because you remove a partnership to a PC? Going to see what can be salvaged now, but not too hopeful...

[Spud1]

I've had similar problems with contact manager deciding to delete all contacts - caused by syncing issues and then by different contact types...

What I do now is keep all my contacts on my phone in outlook format, and I back everything up to csv format from outlook after a successful sync (if I have made any big changes). That way I can always keep a copy of a contact in outlook..which means I can always restore and sync it to my WM6 device if it decides to wipe them all Annoying tho isnt it

[LSmith4285]

I've had strange problems with ActiveSync which has caused me to lose data many times. I now have a batch files run when I logon to the PC to backup my outlook file.

[fathazza]

yeah mine deleted all my outlook contacts from my phone and left the sim ones which was a pain in the arse.... Oddly they were all still in outlook.

It also doesnt seem to be syncing appointments properly.. GRR

[Dreaming]

I've had similar problems with contact manager deciding to delete all contacts - caused by syncing issues and then by different contact types...

What I do now is keep all my contacts on my phone in outlook format, and I back everything up to csv format from outlook after a successful sync (if I have made any big changes). That way I can always keep a copy of a contact in outlook..which means I can always restore and sync it to my WM6 device if it decides to wipe them all Annoying tho isnt it

Could you just quickly run through how you do this? Thanks lol, will save me much hassle in future

[Spud1]

Sure.

Well I started from having no contacts and created everyone from scratch - but if you have a mixture of sim + outlook contacts atm, I reccomend re-creating any sim contacts as outlook ones (either on your phone or pc) to simplify things Outlook contacts are the defaults I think.

First sync your phone/pc - they must have the same cal/contacts etc when you start. Then simply go into outlook, open the contacts manager bit, click:

File
Import/Export
Export to a File
Comma Separated Values (Windows)
Next...and so on

That will leave you with a single file containing all your contacts. Then if you ever loose them for whatever reason, simply go through the process again but instead of exporting to a file, import from a file, and all your contacts will be back

Hope that makes sense

[vk123]

I remember loosing all my contacts and info on a nokia E61i when i installed blackberry support .. Why dont phone makers think about such issues and warn users clearly before hand

[Scott B]

I may not be the most tech-savvy member of staff at HEXUS, but I can't believe that ActiveSync can delete all the contacts on your phone (TyTN II) without giving you a SINGLE warning that this might happen.

FFS!! Not only can I still not get the bleeping thing to to access exchange server after wrestling with it for hours, but now it turns out that, because I didn't realise the implications of selecting "if in doubt replace existing ones" or whatever the conflict resolution setting is, it has now replaced my phone contacts with what I had on my Outlook on my PC - f*ck all.

I assumed that a 'conflict' - apart from what will happen if I ever meet anyone who works for Windows mobile, or HTC for that matter - referred to duplicate entries, or some other situation where it would be forced to chose between two entries. It never occurred to me that it would consider choosing between an entry and f*ck all to be a conflict, let alone that it would err towards the latter if such a dilemma did arise.

Scott is calm. Breathe, breathe.

Anyway, as a complete long shot, I don't suppose anyone can suggest somewhere the phone or my PC might have stashed a copy of those contacts before it annihilated them?

[Paul Boy]

First of all your contacts should still be Outlook (not sure about sim contacts tho) but in my experience if Active Sync or Windows Mobile Device Centre in Vista deletes contacts from your WM Device it won't delete them from Outlook, and if it does your contacts are sat safely in your Outlook deleted items (unless you've stupidly set Outlook to empty deleted items upon exiting)
Have you checked your Outlook deleted items?
Do you have a back up of your .PST, if you have just open the .PST along side your current .PST and drag and drop the contacts back you your current .PST or use the import/export feature in Outlook (you may want to experiment first, so back up, and stop send and receive.)
If your connected to Exchange, your administrator can get them back for you if they've been deleted from your mailbox.

Once back in Outlook, sync up and your done.

p.s Just remember that WM devices are designed for the Business sector, (although not so much nowadays) and are normally managed by an Administrator. WM Devices are a way of carrying a COPY of your data with you, and if you lose it or have it stolen, all's not lost. in fact your administrator can remotely delete data from WM devices..................................... well what i'm trying to say is that your device should only be your COPY, and Outlook or Exchange be your main version of your data.


Hope this helps

[Scott B]

Thanks for that Paul Boy.

I had naively been inputting contacts in my new phone in much the same way as I would, say, my old phone. I now realise that I should have done the exact opposite of what I did - i.e replace my outlook contacts with my phone ones. I still think I a) shouldn't have to choose, b) should have been given SOME warning that I was about to delete all the data on my phone and c) should have some ability to undo this sort of thing.

There wasn't a copy saved in deleted items and, given that I was never asked my stance on emptying deleted items upon exiting, MS must surely be the cause for some of the stupidity here.

[-iceblade^]

mobile device center is rubbish. Async was a lot better...

never forgive mobile device center for 'killing' my HTC magician...

[climberthe]

Another victim here!
I smoked my hard drive on Saturday - I've been rebuilding my system ever since. I lost all my contacts, tasks and calendar...then I realized I had all that info on my mobile phone, so I installed Windows mobile Device center, created a sync partnership and pffff! deleted all my contacts, calendar and tasks from my phone!
Now I'm totally screwed!

Thanks Windows!
Anybody know how to recover data from the internal memory?

[Andeh13]

I lost all my contacts through syncing aswell, when i first got my tytn2! Iv not touched the damned program since!

[Paul Boy]

It's IMPOSSIBLE to lose your contacts, Calender etc if you have your Outlook (PST) backed up or you use Exchange server. Your mobile is a COPY of your data and not the MASTER!!!

If your PC Failed, how have you recovered your Office Outlook (not Outlook Express rubbish) email?

WM phones is designed to sync with your Exchange server, or manually to your Office Outlook. It will sync new contacts and Calender entries that you add to your phone over GPRS, Wi-Fi if your using Exchange, or by USB or Bluetooth if your using conventional pop3 email in MS Office Outlook.

You can't blame Active Sync or WMDC for not backing up your PST data

[Paul Boy]

For those that don't back up or sync with Exchange or Office Outlook, the use Microsoft My Phone, its now free and will back up your contacts, Calender and SMS.

http://sn1-p3.myphone.microsoft.com/...t.po?mkt=en-GB



You can still use this even if you use Exchange, it just doesn't sync you exchange data (contacts, Calender etc) but will sync/back up your SMS, storage card, photo's, Music etc.

[Dreaming]

hey paul, thanks for the tip.

the problem in my case, was that i had formatted my PC (all emails are imap anyway so no real need to backup .pst) and had added contacts to my phone in the normal manner... out talking to people at university or whatever and swap numbers. you know, the usual way you use a phone.

plugged it into freshly formatted pc, told it to sync assuming it would just backup the contacts on my phone, instead it wiped my phone clean. how ridiculous is that? it should be very hard for you to be able to lose data, and its no excuse saying we should have to keep outlook .pst files backed up. look at the iphone, if you install itunes on a blank pc and try to backup your iphone to that PC, will it wipe your phone because there is nothing yet on the PC? Of course not, that would be silly, and it's an oversight of microsoft's i believe to expect customers to carry around a copy of their .pst files because not everyone is a power business user with an exchange server. i expect if i add something to my phone manually that it will stay on there until i say 'ok' to either wipe all data or something similar. i would definitely not expect it to wipe it without confirmation.